Deathquake
by Firestorm Nauralagos
Summary: "She could still hear the quake in her mind. The horrible, angry roar of the earth as it shook. The crashing as the rocks came falling into the ravine, falling, falling, falling." -Deathquake Chapter 1. How far would you be willing to go to save someone you loved more than anything? On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1: Deathquake

_**A/N: **__This is the backstory of Heather Rosegem, one of my O.C.'s from The Destiny of Fire's Song. You will understand the plot of this story well enough without reading that one first, although there will be places where this intertwines with DoFS. This will be one of my shortest stories, hopefully, since I don't want to get stuck not updating another story. O.o_

_**Disclaimer: **__Hmm … *Pensive beard stroke* Wait a second … I don't have a beard! How can I pensively stroke it while trying to come up with a funny way to say "KingsIsle owns Wizard101, not me" when I don't have a beard? _

She could still hear the quake in her mind. The horrible, angry roar of the earth as it shook. The crashing as the rocks came falling into the ravine, falling, falling, falling. The screams of her parents. Her sister's cries of alarm and unbridled terror. The sickening crunch as the boulders hit Anne and Henry Rosegem, crushing them underneath.

She could feel the quake in her mind. The rolling of the ground beneath her feet. The rumbling of stones pouring down the ravine wall towards her. The fingers of Sadie grasping at hers. The dust settling on her hands and face.

She could still see the quake in her mind. The earth shaking, distorting her vision. Her parents tumbling down the side of the ravine. The boulders rolling after them. The tears on Sadie's face, the tears on her own.

Heather Rosegem stood in front of her house on Cyclops Lane. She squeezed Sadie's small hand tightly, staring at the sign being pounded into the ground. "Foreclosed," she whispered, tasting salt as a tear rolled onto her lips. Foreclosed. She knew what the word meant. The bank was taking away her house since her parents were dead. A tall woman approached them slowly. She wore a dark blue uniform and too much makeup. Her sickeningly sweet perfume reached Heather's nose before the woman's voice did.

"Poor girls!" She cried, throwing her sticklike arms around Heather's neck. She ducked away from the woman, pulling Sadie with her.

"Who are y-y-y-you?" She asked softly, staring up at the woman with fearful eyes.

"I'm Mrs. Goldthorn, from the Cyclops Lane Orphanage. I've been sent to bring you two to the orphanage until you can attend Ravenwood." She smiled broadly, seeming to forget the deaths of the girls' parents. "It's really a lovely place; the children are allowed to go to pre-magic school, and there are games, and gardens, and a library, and once you're old enough, you can go off to Ravenwood or to another school. You'll each get a roommate there, in a very nice dormitory."

"We'll be separated?" Heather asked, her eyes growing wide with fear. She gripped Sadie's hand even tighter.

"No! I won't let you take Heather!" The eight-year-old screamed, stumbling away from the orphanage worker.

"Now, dears, please be reasonable! Where else will you go but to the orphanage?"

"You can't make us go!" Sadie turned and dashed away, tearing her hand from Heather's grip. With one last desperate look at her old house, Heather ran after her sister.

11 MONTHS LATER

"Could you spare any gold?" Heather begged, holding out her hands to passersby. "Please, anything at all?" A few of them paused to glance at her pityingly, but most simply continued on their way. Hurry, hurry, hurry. People rushed by her in both directions, hurrying one way or the other, anxious to reach their destinations. No one worried about the girl in the middle, the girl who was going nowhere. They all had places to be, places that were surely more important than the one little girl standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Someone knocked her to the ground as they hurried, and her few gold coins spilled onto the ground. Heather scrambled after them, dodging the moving feet and desperately trying to collect what she could. She paused to cover her head as someone stepped threateningly close, and then scuttled out of the way. Heather paused to catch her breath, huddled under a pine tree, hidden from any hostile eyes. She carefully counted the coins, dropping each one into the pocket of her tattered, dusty skirt. Her grubby fingers paused over a particularly large, thick coin, and she inspected it closely. Could it be possible? It was! She held a 100 gold piece! She laughed aloud with joy; something of this value would feed herself and Sadie for weeks! Maybe she could even buy Sadie a new pair of shoes; her old ones were torn in too many places to count, and they practically hung off her feet. First, though, she had to return home, so she could tell her sister that she was going to Olde Town.

A short walk later, she stood in front of "home." There were a few scraps of wood piled against the wall, forming a kind of wooden tent. A holey tarp was tied on the top with a length of rotten, slimy brown rope, and a second tarp was spread on the inside of the shelter. Sitting under a nearby tree was a frail looking girl dressed in a ragged white robe, which was far too small, not to mention filthy. She held a clump of purple yarn, and her tiny, slender fingers were flying back and forth, braiding it. The girl looked up and waved.

"Hello, Heather!" She called, dropping the yarn and running over to hug her sister.

"Hi, Sadie. What are you doing outside the shelter? I've told you before; someone might see you if you're out!" The eight-year-old's gaze lowered, and she folded her hands, clearly ashamed.

"I'm sorry. It's just … the sky was so blue today, and the trees and grass smelled so good … I didn't want to be stuck inside that old pile of wood!" Heather frowned.

"We're lucky to have 'that old pile of wood.' We could be living somewhere in the open, or even worse, in that orphanage, separate from each other," she scolded.

"Right … I know, I'm sorry." Sadie looked nearly ready to cry, and Heather was instantly sorry for snapping.

"Hey, how's your braid coming?"

"Pretty good, I guess … I've got it nearly a foot long, and then I'll cut it and start another one."

"How come?"

"Didn't I already tell you? I'm making bookmarks for you to sell in Olde Town! There are lots of students there, and they might buy bookmarks from the Bazaar!" The corners of Sadie's mouth turned up slightly. "Do you-do you think they'll buy them?" Heather smiled.

"Of course they will! If my little sister made them, they'll sell faster than diamonds!" That earned a laugh from Sadie. "So, guess what?"

"What?" Heather paused for a moment, letting Sadie think, and then she replied:

"I found a 100 gold piece today!" Her sister gasped.

"One hundred gold? That's a fortune! How could someone misplace THAT?"

"I have no idea! I think someone might have thrown it to me earlier! I'm going to Olde Town soon; you can sit outside …"

"Yay!"

"…IF you promise to stay right behind the shelter," Heather finished. Sadie nodded hard, her eyes sparkling.

"I promise!"

"Okay. I'm leaving in just a minute, so you can go back to braiding, if you want."

"Already? You just got back!"

"Well, I heard it's someone special's birthday tomorrow, and if I want to get her a special breakfast and maybe a present, I've got to go now, don't I?" She grinned and tugged on one of Sadie's long, dark blond pigtails. "I'll be back by nine-thirty; make sure you get to bed on time!"

"I will. See you tomorrow, Heather!" She gave her sister one more hug, and then returned to her braiding. Heather tried to brush some of the dust off her skirt, and then started out for Olde Town.

_**A/N:**__ And there you have it! Chapter one is complete! I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Please review, and no flames! Flamers shall be forced to walk the plank. xD_


	2. Chapter 2: Perfect Birthday Shoes

A small smile graced Heather's lips as she stepped out of the tunnel to Olde Town. She could smell the bread in the bakery window, steaming hot and fresh out of the oven. Sweet smelling apple pies lined the second window, and the third was a closed glass case, which contained decorative cakes and cheery cupcakes. The baker nodded to her as he set a basket of rolls down, and she waved back shyly.

After the bakery was a flower cart, practically overflowing with all different plants: roses, gardenias, petunias, pansies, tulips, sunflowers, and even a few sprigs of heather. They were all vibrantly colored, and the different scents mingled in the air, creating a sweet aromatic cloud around the cart. Running it that afternoon was Eloise Krendel, the owner's daughter. The young woman smiled cheerfully and waved.

There were dancers and musicians in the square that day, dressed in bright colors and waving long ribbons that snaked back and forth in the wind, spinning their own elegant dance. They were probably part of one of the various festivals Heather didn't know the name of. She preferred to think that they were celebrating Sadie's birthday. A young woman with flowing black curls and a sapphire blue skirt danced over and offered Heather a hand.

"Come join us!" She laughed, showing off her perfect white teeth. Heather, blushing furiously, shook her head and backed away quickly.

"N-n-no thank you," she whispered to the dancer.

"All right, but if you change your mind, we're here all day!" The dancer waved as she skipped back to the middle of the group. Heather rushed across the street with her head down, horribly embarrassed that she'd been singled out by the dancer. She carefully ducked into the Bazaar, staying as close to the wall as she could, and quickly walked over to the shoe shelves.

She saw them immediately, sitting in a small nest of white tissue paper and blue cardboard: a pair of just-the-right-size shoes that were a beautiful shade of sage green. There was a tiny gold rosebud on the toe of each shoe, and thin green ribbon was woven around the tops. Heather hesitantly reached out and stroked one of the shoes, feeling the soft, velvety material. It was too good to be true; she knew that Sadie _had_ to have those shoes. Carefully, she picked up the box that held them and tiptoed up to the checkout counter. Elik the 3rd (the Master Merchant) smiled down at her.

"And what can I do for you, young lady?" Heather cautiously placed the shoes on the counter.

"How m-much are th-these?" She whispered, silently cursing her stutter. Elik picked up the box and inspected them with a careful eye.

"Hmm … I'd place these at about 500 gold. Are they for your first day of school?" He asked, bagging the shoes. Heather blushed even harder, fingering the 100 gold coin that had seemed like so much money before …

"N-no, they're supposed to be for my sister, but … I only have 100 gold." She stared at her tattered boots, ashamed. Elik frowned.

"Well, I'd lower the price, but then I'd have to lower it for everyone else, wouldn't I?" He seemed slightly apologetic, but only shrugged as he took the beautiful, perfect birthday shoes out of the bag and set them back on the shelf. Heather stared at them longingly for a moment.

_I guess they weren't very practical, anyways … they wouldn't be pretty for long,_ she thought miserably, returning to the shoe shelves. In the end, she had to make due with a pair of rather ugly brown boots, which would last longer, but would never match up to the green and gold shoes. Thankfully, the boots only cost 20 gold, and Heather was happy to buy a cupcake with light yellow frosting for Sadie's birthday cake. She completed her food shopping and began the journey home.

_**THE NEXT MORNING**_

"Happy birthday, Sadie!" Heather handed her sister the boots-which were wrapped in Heather's blanket-and the cupcake.

"Oh, Heather! You got a cupcake!" Sadie laughed. She immediately peeled off the wrapping, cut it in half with her finger, and handed half to Heather.

"Sadie, it's your birthday! The whole thing is for you," she laughed, trying to refuse, but Sadie was insistent. Finally, Heather gave in, and the sisters ate the cupcake in happy silence. When they were done, Sadie carefully unwrapped Heather's blanket and set it aside. She stared at the boots for a moment, not speaking. Her expression was unreadable.

"They're …"

"Ugly, I know … I'm sorry I couldn't get you something nicer, but … I didn't have enough gold. They're supposed to last you a few years, but I really wanted to get you-" Sadie threw her arms around her older sister's neck, laughing.

"I wasn't going to say ugly! I was going to say perfect! They're perfect. I couldn't ask for anything better than these." Sadie kicked off her old shoes and pulled on the boots, and then she sat there admiring her new shoes. "I love them!" Heather was stunned.

"You … like them? Really?" Sadie nodded, beaming.

"I don't care if they're old brown boots from the Bazaar or glass slippers belonging to the princess of Marleybone, as long as you picked them out special for me," she said softly, giving Heather another hug.

"I _will_ get you the other shoes someday, though. You'll love them, I promise, just as much as you love the boots now."

"You got me a new pair of boots that will keep my feet dry and are big enough, a cupcake and food for the rest of the month. That's almost exactly what I was going to ask for, without the cupcake," Sadie replied, smiling. Heather returned the smile, absolutely relieved that Sadie was happy. That was all _she_ could ever want.


	3. Chapter 3: Job Hunting

_**THREE MONTHS LATER**_

It was a day like any other for the Rosegem sisters. Sadie had gotten up early to work on her bookmarks-which might not have been selling as fast as diamonds, but they were popular among the younger students of Ravenwood. Heather had gone out to try and find work, since she had turned 11 the week before and was legally allowed. So far, there were no openings for her, but she was determined to find a job. She was going to ask the festival dancers that day, and there was a knot in her stomach at the thought of performing. However, if it kept food in Sadie's stomach and kept her warm in the winter, Heather would wear a chicken suit and dance the Macarena. Dancing or playing an instrument with a festival group wouldn't be so bad.

Surprisingly, the first person to speak to her was the black haired dancer from Sadie's birthday, this time dressed in vibrant yellow.

"Ex-c-c-cuse me, m-miss. Is it p-possible for m-me to get a j-job with you?" Heather asked, blushing as her stutter got worse. The dancer smiled down at her.

"Hey, I remember you. I asked you to dance with us a few months ago, but you refused. How come you want to dance now?"

"W-well … I just turned 11, so I'm allowed t-to w-work now," she replied.

"Well … I don't think we have any openings now, but …" she rifled around in a bag she was carrying before continuing to speak, "… there's always_ this_ option." She held up a poster that had been creased several times. Heather looked closer and realized that it was a poster advertising the registration date for the Ravenwood School of Magic.

"M-magic? I can't go to school; I have to help feed my sister!" Her stutter always seemed to disappear when she was talking about Sadie. The dancer laughed.

"Hon, this isn't just an ordinary school of magic. This is _Ravenwood._ It's not regular old school; once you reach level five, which should take you a month or so, you're allowed to go out and do odd jobs for people. You know, killing monsters, tracking down missing people, gathering reagents, that kind of thing. Jobs for wizards pay far better than anything you could get with us. I suggest you check it out."

"R-really?"

"'Course. It won't hurt you any, and I'm sure your sister will have a place there, too." Heather nodded hard and started to leave, but at the last moment, she turned back to the dancer.

"How d-do you know so m-much about Ravenwood?" She didn't speak, simply held out her hand. A small tendril of fire wove itself around her fingers. "Oh. When is registration?"

"Today, in the Commons. Starting in about half an hour."

" Th-thanks for the help!" Heather waved to the dancer and started towards the Shopping District.

The dancer chuckled as she watched Heather hurry away. In a puff of black smoke, she was gone, leaving no trace that she had ever been there...

Heather paused for a breath just inside the Commons, leaning up against a tree. The lovely, wide open place seemed a bit more cheerful than usual, and dozens of other children about her age were running to and fro, playing games, dancing, laughing, singing, and generally just enjoying themselves. For a moment, Heather felt a pang of sorrow and longing, wondering if she would have been among those children if … if things had been different. She shook her head and reminded herself, _Things aren't different, so I have to make due with what I've got._

After a few more seconds of resting, she started walking around again, trying to decide who to ask where to register. Heather turned around to face the tunnel, and she noticed a huge, bright red banner that proclaimed, "All new students register here!" in bright gold lettering. It was flying above a towering, red-tinted building with a wide, high-arched blue door. There were only two people lined up in front of the closed gate, surprisingly: A girl and a boy. They didn't seem to be a group, and they weren't speaking to each other. The girl, who had green hair, had her arms crossed and was looking around impatiently, tapping her foot. The boy stood completely still with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. Cautiously, Heather approached them, deciding that the boy looked friendlier, and asked,

"Is th-this where r-r-registr-ration is?" For the second time that day, she cursed her stutter as the boy looked up at her in surprise.

"Uh … yeah. The Headmaster just said that registration would be starting in five minutes, so … you're right on time. Just … um … wait here, I guess." His accent was thick and strange, one that Heather couldn't identify.

"Th-thank you," she whispered, ducking her head shyly.

-V-

Sure enough, the gates slowly creaked open about five minutes later. A white owl flew out of the tall building and perched on the gate.

"Greetings, children, parents and all the people of Wizard City!" He hooted, his voice magnified to echo throughout the Commons. "My name is Gamma the owl, and I will be assisting with registration today. Will all children that are registering please form a line in front of the gate?" As the people began to move towards the gates, the owl glanced down at the line of three-no, four. Heather realized that another person had joined the line: a girl of medium height dressed in black, with her long, black hair pulled into a ponytail. She gave Heather a thin smile, her eerie silver eyes twinkling in the sun. Heather smiled back hesitantly before turning back to the front of the line. "You, girl, what is your name?"

"Sabrina Jadeleaf!" She almost shouted, turning quickly to face the owl. She sounded excited.

"You may enter, young Sabrina." The owl flew back inside, and Sabrina ran after him.


	4. Chapter 4: Strange World

_**A/N: **__Thanks to Fatty Waffey, scarletfireblaze and DeathySophia for all of your awesome reviews from the past few chapters! :D You guys are awesome! :) _

_Conjurer. _Heather thought the word, tasted the word, let it roll around on her tongue like a cherry. It tasted funny, she decided, kind of like an orange-pineapple drink she'd gotten to sample at the food store once. It was an exotic word, a strange word, a foreign word. She'd have to get used to it; that was what Headmaster Ambrose had called her, anyways.

_"Congratulations, young Heather! You are a Conjurer, a student of the School of Myth." _His smile remained in her mind, that wrinkly, gentle, almost sad smile. The ancient man, the Headmaster, he had waved his tall staff towards her and instantly transformed her dusty, threadbare blue dress into the most beautiful robe she had ever seen. Long sleeved, high collared, and dyed vibrant shades of gold and royal blue. It fell to her mid thighs, but two strips of fabric (one in the front, one in the back) went lower, to just below her knees. The fabric was lighter than cotton and so soft, but impossibly strong, and it was warm, but not too warm. It was the most comfortable thing Heather had ever worn in her life. On her feet were a pair of sturdy boots, made of the same lovely material, and she'd even been given a yellow pointed hat with a blue satin ribbon around the brim. It fit right to her head, sitting just on top of her ears comfortably, and it didn't feel like it would come off in the wind.

Then there was the wand. It wasn't a particularly special wand, nor was it especially fancy or beautiful, but the plain black wand with white end caps would be what saved Sadie from poverty. It would save them both. With the long, slender stick in her hands, Heather could become strong. She could fight anything that ever tried to hurt her sister. She could maybe even learn tricks like what the Headmaster had done, the transformation of her clothes, and she could give Sadie a robe and boots like the yellow and blue garments she herself had received. It would only be a month before she could earn her own money and help Sadie.

For a moment, Heather had considered asking the Headmaster if she could bring a robe to her sister, but then she paused. What if he sent Sadie to the orphanage? What if he punished her for running away so long ago? No, asking the Headmaster could prove to be a very bad idea. So, Heather didn't ask. She thanked the Headmaster twice for the robe and wand, and he nodded and smiled. He told her that since she had no adult escort, he would ask an older student to take her on a tour of Ravenwood and bring her to the dorm room she would be staying in.

"Why do I have to help _her?_" Those seven words were the first words out of his mouth. Heather's heart sank into a pit when she heard the seven words, and it sank even lower when she saw him. Taller than her, probably seven inches taller. Dressed in yellow and silver, with a hood covering most of his messy black hair. His eyes, a clear, silvery blue color, gave her a quick, disdainful glance, and then he turned back to the Headmaster. "I've got better things to do, Headmaster! I have to study so I can have the highest score on the test, and I have to supervise the students on Cyclops Lane!"

"You do not need to do either, Nolan. I know for a fact that your test was yesterday, and you passed with a 99%. As for supervising Cyclops Lane … that would be more like bullying the younger students into doing your work for you. The best thing you could do right now is to help this young student find her way around the school." The Headmaster turned to her and smiled, although it seemed more forced this time. "Heather, this is Nolan Stormgate. He is a level 8 Conjurer and your guide for your first few weeks here. Nolan, this is Heather Rosegem, our newest Conjurer. I'm sure the two of you will get along … er, wonderfully."

Heather wondered if he was required to say that whenever he introduced two students to one another.

"Sure, whatever. Let's just go already." The older boy stalked out of the building, with Heather hurrying to catch up to him.

-V-

Ravenwood was beautiful. Heather couldn't stop staring at the trees, especially, but Nolan's voice cut into her marveling.

"Come on, hurry up. I'm supposed to give you a tour, show you where your dorm room is, and then I can get back to work. So, yeah, this is the Ravenwood School of Magic. Whatever." He shrugged as if bored.

"It's b-b-beautiful here," Heather whispered, turning her eyes back towards the enormous tree in the center of the school.

"Who cares? That's Bartleby, the Grandfather Tree. There's some huge long story about him, but I'm not here to tell the history of the Spiral to a novice, so ask someone else." He pointed to the gray and purple building with storm clouds brewing over the top. "That's the School of Storm. Diviners go there. Professor's name is Haliston Balestrom."

"What k-kind of s-spells d-d-do D-diviners cast?" Heather asked curiously.

"Will you quit it with that stutter thing, already?" Nolan snapped, spinning around to face her. "You sound dumb when you do that! It doesn't make you sound _cute_ or whatever you seem to think it does for you! Just stop!"

Heather stared at him in shock and horror, wondering how a person could possibly be so nasty. She felt tears begin to form in her eyes, salty, stinging, burning tears of embarrassment, hatred and even fear. Why did she have to stutter all the time? Why couldn't she just be normal? She knew why: the earthquake. At the thought of the earthquake, she began to cry harder, begging the memories to go away …

_**Flashback: The Earthquake**_

_As the rocks pelted her, Heather screamed for help, trying to shield Sadie with her own body. The rocks got bigger, and all she could do was shove Sadie against the wall as a boulder knocked into her, throwing the girl to the ground. She felt the boulders begin to pile up around and on top of her, and she weakly lifted a hand as the darkness settled on to her. _

_-V-_

_Heather woke up in a hospital bed. There was white everywhere, choking her, and she couldn't think as she looked around, trying to determine what had happened. That's when she remembered, and everything came rushing back to her: the earthquake. Her parents' fall. The crunching sound as boulders rolled down on top of them. Sadie screaming-Sadie! Where was she? Panicked, Heather sat straight up-oh, there she was. Sitting in a plastic chair, her little sister was slumped over, fast asleep. Her fragile, birdlike form was covered in a too-heavy green blanket, although it seemed like the weight of the entire world had been thrown over her instead. _

_She had whispered Sadie's name, and the little girl had woken in a second, startled. She'd screamed her big sister's name and thrown her little arms around Heather's neck, hugging her like she thought she would never see Heather again. _

_The doctors and nurses had come, telling Sadie to sit down out of the way. They'd told Heather that she'd been hit on the head. Her brain was damaged, and she'd have a stutter for the rest of her life. It was possible that she would only stutter sometimes, like when she was nervous. _

_For the first few weeks, it had been constant, the stutter always present in her speech. Heather had practiced. She made Sadie have her recite things from memory. She read street signs aloud. She sang for her sister. She sometimes just talked to herself. It began to go away. When she was nervous, it would come back, but most of the time, she could speak normally. Heather would settle for the improvement she had gotten, even if she could never be truly healed._

-V-

As the memories returned, coming in fierce droves, Heather fell to her knees, clutching her head. There weren't just memories now; the pain was coming back, too, the pain in her mind as rocks pummeled her, forcing her into a life of embarrassment every time she spoke. She fought the urge to scream-and lost.

There were voices … who were they? It sounded like her mother … was it? Was it a dream? Maybe it was a dream. Yes, it was a dream. Her mother was waking her up …

"Heather, it's okay, dear. Shh, it's okay. Everything's fine." The soothing voice was almost certainly her mother's … a soft green light washed over her, and the pain slowly faded away. A gentle hand touched her shoulder, and Heather looked up, wiping the tears away from her eyes. It wasn't her mom. Instead, a red haired woman dressed all in green was staring at her with concern in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong, Heather? Where are your parents; do you want me to call them?" She turned to Nolan. "Nolan Stormgate, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! Why would I want to make her _cry_?" The boy protested. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Of course you didn't. What's wrong?" She asked again.

"N-nothing … I h-had a m-memory … m-my brain's f-funny like th-that s-sometimes …" Heather whispered, shaking her head.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah … I'm f-fine now." The woman gave her one last concerned look, but nodded.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, or if you ever need help, come see me, okay? My name is Sylvia Drake, the Life Professor. Have a nice day, Heather." She smiled and disappeared in a cloud of green light.

_**A/N: **__That was, like, crazy long! XD I considered continuing the chapter, but I figured that this is a good place to stop. Hmmm … I wonder why she covered for Nolan, since Sylvia would have gladly shredded his face off if she found out. XD_

_Please review if you liked it, or if you found anything that I could/should improve on! :)_deathquake 4


	5. Chapter 5: Returning

The tour continued without any more trouble. Nolan even stopped making his rude comments and actually gave Heather real information about each place they visited. He didn't mention the incident until the tour was over, and he was taking her to the dorm rooms.

"Why didn't you tell Professor Drake?" It didn't even sound like a question, really, but more like a demand for answers. Heather knew that she didn't have a choice in whether she would answer or not, so she thought carefully before telling him.

"W-well … you d-d-don't really s-seem like th-the f-friendly, n-nice, forgiving t-type, so I was k-kind of scared of h-how you'd respond; I d-didn't th-think you would b-be a good enemy t-to have. Also, I d-don't like to s-see other people in t-trouble because of m-me."

"I was kinda … nasty to you, though, wasn't I?" Heather smirked.

"Oh, t-trust me, n-nasty is a major unders-statement."

"What made you flip out like that, anyways? Was it really that bad of an insult?" Not so nasty or demanding this time. Maybe he was scared to know the answer. _Which he well should be, _Heather thought.

"Th-that's not something I c-can answer yet, especially n-n-not after what you s-said to me, b-but I _can_ t-tell you th-that my s-s-stutter isn't f-fake. My b-brain was d-damaged after … an accident, w-when I was y-younger. It's p-p-permanent, and it s-seems to b-be getting w-worse again." She frowned. "N-not the best time t-to get w-w-worse."

"Oh." Nolan at least had the decency to look ashamed of himself for what he'd done. "Uh … sorry?" The younger Conjurer nodded.

"That's a s-start." They stopped in front of a young boy dressed in red and gold.

"Hello, Nolan. Who's your friend?" The boy seemed friendly enough, but he was eyeing Nolan warily, like he was afraid to hear the response.

"We're not friends. I'm supposed to show her around Ravenwood until she gets used to it. Can you find her a dorm room, Simeon?"

"Er … sure thing! What's her name?" Simeon opened a huge book that stood on a pedestal.

"My n-name is Heather R-rosegem," Heather told him.

"You're in room 603. It's on the sixth floor. Just inside the Girls' Dorm Tower, there's a room filled with teleport stones. The one with the number six is the one you want. Just touch it to transport yourself to the sixth floor."

"Okay, th-thank you for your help." She smiled at him before heading towards the massive tower labeled "Girls' Dorm Tower."

"Your notebook will be in your dorm room. It will tell you when your classes start, and how to pick a secondary school. I'll be back at lunchtime, since you'll need to be shown where the cafeteria is." He sounded slightly irritated at the thought of coming back, but at least he didn't add a rude comment.

"Th-thank you for your h-help, Nolan. I'm s-still waiting for a g-good apology, by th-the w-way." Before the Conjurer had a chance to reply, Heather stepped inside the Girls' Dorm Tower.

-V-

After that day, Heather never mentioned the incident again. She knew that if Nolan was ever going to apologize the right way, he would have to do it in his own time, and no amount of prodding would force the Conjurer to apologize sooner.

She'd chosen Life as her secondary school, for two reasons: First of all, she could learn to heal by learning Life. Healing was much better than fighting; Heather wanted to learn to _save_ lives, not take them.

The second reason was, of course, the Life Professor. Sylvia Drake was easily one of the nicest people Heather had ever met; the young Conjurer met with her several times after their first meeting and got to know the professor better, and Professor Drake had shown her nothing but kindness ever since they'd met.

Professor _Cyrus_ Drake, however, was another story. The man was an extremely strict teacher, and he held obvious disdain for every one of his students. By the middle of the first day, Heather was already wondering why in the _Spiral _that man was a professor. There was one amusing part of class, at least: right at the end, a Theurgist had cast a nearly perfect bloodbat, which then chased Professor Drake all around the classroom. He'd given the girl-her name was Sabrina Jadeleaf, as Heather discovered later- an extra hour of homework, but Sabrina hadn't seemed to mind. Rather, the Theurgist had seemed extremely smug as she marched out of the Myth School.

As Heather returned to her dorm room after Conjuring Class, she decided that it had been one of the most perfect days she'd ever had. There was only one thing that would make it absolutely perfect: Bringing Sadie to the school.

Her younger sister would definitely be worried out of her mind if Heather didn't show up that night; Sadie might fall asleep thinking that Heather would be back late, but when she woke up the next morning and found Heather still missing, she'd panic- and maybe even leave their old "house" to go looking for Heather. That could only end badly for Sadie, unless she was to find the dancer … the Conjurer shook her head. There was only the tiniest chance that her little sister would make it out of Cyclops Lane _and _find the dancer in yellow. The only possible solution was to bring Sadie to Ravenwood herself. She resolved to ask Nolan how to get into Cyclops Lane as soon as he came to show her where the cafeteria was.

-V-

"…and I'm afraid I c-can't tell you why, b-but I r-really need to g-get into Cyclops L-Lane!" Heather pleaded. She'd been trying to convince him for well over five minutes, but he had insisted that she wasn't allowed there as a novice.

"You're in Ravenwood novice robes now! The guards will _never _let you in!" He shook his head.

"You d-don't understand …" The novice whispered. "My little sister's still there, and she has no idea where I've gone."

"So? Won't your parents know?"

"My parents are d-d-dead," Heather told him miserably. "We live in a c-corner by the r-river g-grate. We built it tog-gether, out of old p-pieces of w-wood and a t-tarp. I'd go out d-during the day and … t-try to find m-money to buy f-food … she stays h-home and makes b-b-bookmarks."

Nolan seemed shocked for a moment, but he quickly masked his expression. "Oh." The two of them continued eating their lunch in silence.

-V-

Heather sat on her simple red and gold bed, hunched over a thick Myth textbook and a notebook that Sylvia had given her. The Conjuring homework was difficult, to be sure, but she was determined to have it done as well as she could by tomorrow's class. She was focusing on a particularly difficult question when there was a soft knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, sliding the notebook into her textbook and closing the tome. She stood just as the door opened, and she gasped in shock. There, in her doorway, stood Sadie. "Sadie!" The Conjurer shrieked, dashing forwards to hug her sister tightly. Sadie laughed. "How did you get here? How did you know where I was?"

The younger girl smiled. "That boy came and told me where to find you." She pointed behind her. Nolan Stormgate stood back a few feet, almost against the opposite wall. Heather gave him a small, shaky smile.

"Thank you."


	6. Chapter 6: Passing Time

_**A/N: **__So, the goal is to get this story finished by the beginning of 2013. I'm not planning on having too many more chapters in this, so it should be possible, but I can't guarantee that I'll meet that goal. Also, I will be marking this story as complete, but I have one more chapter that will be published after The Destiny of Fire's Song is completed._

_**In response to my reviews …**_

_**DeathySophia: **__Nope. Not legal at all. xD He did it anyways; this chapter will talk more about how Heather keeps from getting anyone in trouble for Sadie being in her dorm room.___

_**I suppose I'm due for a disclaimer … I don't own Wizard101. If I did, Malistaire wouldn't be evil, the main enemies wouldn't all be Death, and there would be a black dragon mount. ^^**_

A few days went by. Soon, those days turned into weeks, and then months. At first, Heather had a bit of trouble keeping Sadie hidden and cared for. She'd get caught sneaking extra food out of the cafeteria, stealing a few extra blankets and pillows, and once, Heather's friend Erica had come in without knocking- and seen Sadie. The Conjurer had quickly stuttered a lie about Sadie being a visitor from Pigswick Academy, and Heather was her guide for the day. Erica had reluctantly fallen for the lie- thankfully, there _had _been a few visiting Pigswick students that day- and left without questioning Heather.

As the weeks passed, however, the young Conjurer devised ways to protect and care for her sister. She would bring her backpack to her meals and work on her homework- and she certainly had a lot of it from Professor Cyrus Drake- and then packed a few small food items into it to bring to Sadie.

As the Headmaster had promised, it had only taken Heather one month to reach Apprentice rank. She began doing various jobs for the citizens of Unicorn Way as soon as she was granted access. Most of them involved running messages through the dangerous, undead filled streets, but she also gathered items, found lost items, and occasionally dueled the numerous undead in hopes of making the street safer.

The moment she had enough gold, Heather bought a new outfit for Sadie. It was a wide, light blue robe with a white hood and boots, and they were made in the apprentice fashion. Sadie would be able to go out in public now; she looked just like any other apprentice Thaumaturge in Ravenwood. The nine year old was extremely pleased with her new clothing, although she insisted upon keeping the old brown boots.

_"I couldn't just throw away my birthday present," _she would argue every time Heather brought up the idea. The Conjurer reluctantly agreed, although she wouldn't let her sister wear them. She always insisted that Sadie deserved better than the dingy boots, and now that she had the money, she wouldn't have to wear them ever again.

Nolan Stormgate, surprisingly, kept the secret. He knew just as well as Heather that it was against the rules to keep a non-student in the Dorm Rooms- or even in the School- and yet, he never turned them in. Rather, the Journeyman helped the two sisters in a variety of ways, despite the expulsion threat. He was a surprisingly good liar, for someone who followed the rules so strictly, and he managed to convince even the Headmaster that Sadie was legally allowed in Ravenwood- a visitor from Pigswick, a transfer student from Dragonspyre Academy, even a Marleybonian ten-year-old touring the school with her guide.

Sometimes, if Heather was having trouble feeding her sister, Nolan would bring the younger sister food that he bought in Olde Town. Heather always insisted on paying him back, but he would always attempt to convince her against it. It seemed that he was trying to make up for what he had done, although he was still far from reformed. There was one instance in particular that Heather was sure she'd never forget.

She had been walking through the Commons with two of her new friends, Brooke Swiftriver and Donna Dragonflame. The three were chatting innocently, enjoying each other's company, when suddenly, Donna's crutch was knocked away, and she toppled to the ground.

The Pyromancer had been injured not long before starting Ravenwood; in fact, she'd been a week late for registration due to a visit to the hospital. The Theurgists hadn't been sure that she would ever walk again, but when she did, they confirmed that she would have a serious limp for the rest of her life. Donna had to wear an enormous brace on her right leg, and she relied heavily on a crutch.

Heather had paused as Brooke had rushed to help her best friend up again. All of a sudden, loud laughter had sounded in her ears, and there, standing a short distance away, was Nolan Stormgate and two of his friends.

_"What's the matter, Clumsy? Can't stay on your feet?" _He'd called. Heather was appalled, and she stared at him in openmouthed shock as Brooke snapped at the older boy. He had retorted with a nasty comment about her scar, and his friends continued to laugh. Donna had started to cry, and Brooke's confidence faltered. Then, for the first time in her life, little Heather had done something bold. She marched straight up to Nolan and slapped him across the face with all of her strength.

His shock had been immediate; his friends stopped laughing to gape at her.

_"Just b-because you're older than us d-d-does NOT give you the right t-to torment people with d-disabilities!" _Heather had gasped, too angry to speak properly. She had stormed away, ignoring him as he'd called her name.

The Conjurer had been furious with Nolan. She wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't look him in the eye, and refused to let him anywhere near her, if it was at all preventable. She sat directly in between Donna and Brooke at lunch, and they were soon joined by a few of Donna's other friends: a quiet Necromancer named Alexandra Firesong, a shy Theurgist named Destiny Greenblossom, Evan Starblade, an easy going Pyromancer, and Erica Bluestone, a hardworking Thaumaturge. The seven of them had become close friends- and they conveniently filled a full table. There was no room for Nolan to intrude and try speaking to Heather.

One day, though, when she was staying in Professor Drake's empty classroom to finish a project, the confrontation became unavoidable. Professor Cyrus had gone looking for a renegade student that should have been in detention, and so she was left all alone, trying to concentrate on measuring out _exactly _two grams of blood bat venom without spilling it all over herself. She was thankful for the lab apron and the thick, dragon scale gloves, but the venom was extremely corrosive; it could burn a hole straight through her skin in under ten seconds if she were to spill it.

_"Need help?" _The voice had startled her, and she had just barely managed to balance the spoon.

_"You almost made me d-d-drop this! Don't you know h-how corrosive b-blood bat venom is?" _

_"Well, I _am _the best Conjurer in the Journeyman class." _

_"That's n-not what I asked." _She had gone back to ignoring him, still trying to measure the venom. She just needed one more milligram …

_"There's a trick for that, you know," he told her. "If you add one drop of water, it makes the venom completely non- corrosive, but it doesn't change it at all other than that. It won't affect the potion- that's a summoning potion, right? You're learning to summon a wooden golem. If you make the poison non- corrosive, you can measure it with one of the tools over there." _He'd pointed to the stack of various scientific tools. _"That's _really _what Professor Drake wants to know: if you're smart enough to figure out the trick." _

_"I d-d-don't need your help!" _She'd blushed furiously as the stutter had destroyed the anger in her words. _"L-leave me alone."_

_"Heather … I didn't come here just to help you with your Myth project. I really messed up this time, didn't I?" _

Angry tears had formed in Heather's eyes as she'd concentrated harder on the experiment.

_"You didn't just 'mess up!' You tripped a girl with a physical disability and then MADE FUN OF HER! You made fun of Brooke because of her scar! It's just like me with my stutter! Neither of them CHOSE to have their disabilities! I'm _quite _sure that they would gladly get rid of them, if they could, but that's not an option! They don't have the perfectly healthy body that you do, and so you have NO right to make fun of them! None at all!" _The tears had escaped, only causing Heather to blush harder. She only looked weak now … he would make fun of her again, and this time, there was nothing stopping him. Surprisingly, though, all he did was shake his head.

_"You're completely right. I messed up. I'm sorry, and I really will try harder to change." _Slowly, Heather had turned to him.

_"Then prove it." _


	7. Chapter 7: Forgiveness

_**A/N: **__Thanks to scarletfireblaze for the review! :D You are awesome! :)_

And prove it he did. Nolan apologized to both Donna and Brooke- very publicly, at lunchtime. He was mocked by his two friends about it later, but Alexandra and Evan personally made sure they would leave him alone. Heather had laughed about it for days afterwards; the two of them made a very scary pair when they wanted to.

After that day, the journeyman Conjurer never made fun of a disabled person again- at least, not to Heather's knowledge. He could still be rude and snobby occasionally, but it was an improvement, she decided. The novice wondered if it had been the influence of his friends- after all, he had stopped talking to them since Alex and Evan scared them- or maybe it was the other way around. Now, he just sat alone at lunch, doing his homework or studying.

"Hah, look at Snotty Boy _now," _Brooke laughed on one such day. "Not so high- and- mighty anymore, is he? He's all by himself, just like the people he used to make fun of!"

"Brooke," Alexandra warned.

"What? It's the truth!"

"He's ch-changed. I d-don't think he's going to m-make fun of anyone anymore," Heather whispered. "He's just like you and me now: an outcast." Erica nodded in agreement.

"She's right, Brooke. We fit in with each other, and so we've created the illusion of popularity for ourselves. The only one of us that _really _'fits in' in Ravenwood is Alex." The Necromancer in question raised her eyebrow.

"Unlikely. I'm … oh, what was it? An anti-social goth, I think they said. Just because I was adopted by my professor does _not _mean I'm popular."

"S-see?" Heather told the Diviner softly. "Nolan won't t-t-tease you again, Brooke. I promise that he won't, or I'll s-slap him again, and I won't f-forgive him this t-time."

"I have a feeling that the threat of not forgiving him is worse than the threat of slapping him, Heather," Destiny remarked. "After all, you're the first _real _friend Nolan Stormgate has ever had." Slowly, the Conjurer realized that she was right. The other friends he'd had were the two boys that influenced him to say horrible things to the disabled.

"Would … would you g-guys mind if he c-came and sat w-with us at lunch?" She asked hesitantly.

"There's no room," Brooke replied quickly, but Alexandra shot her a dirty look. She pulled her chair a few inches away from Heather's.

"If you move to your right, Heather, there's space for one more chair." The Conjurer smiled gratefully at her friend, who nodded. "Well, go ahead. I'm pretty sure that if _I _asked Nolan, he'd run away," she chuckled. Heather smiled as she stood and approached Nolan Stormgate's table.

"Hello, Nolan." He glanced up at her, setting down the Pyromancy textbook when he realized who it was.

"Hey, Heather. Do you … need something?" He seemed nervous, and maybe even … sad?

"Y-yeah. I was w-w-wondering; do you w-want to come and s-sit with me and m-my friends?"

"They hate me," he answered immediately. "Especially … er, the girl with the limp and the Diviner with the scar." Heather shrugged.

"I'm not sure about B-brooke, but Alexandra agreed w-when I asked if w-we could invite y-you. C-come on, there's enough r-room." She smiled encouragingly. Reluctantly, the older Conjurer stood and followed her. He almost turned around when he saw that he'd be sitting by Alexandra, but the Necromancer simply rolled her eyes and told Evan to switch places with her.

"Hi, Nolan! I'm Donna Dragonflame! Do you like butterflies? I love butterflies; they're really pretty! What's your secondary school? Is it Storm like me? Ooh, is it Fire like my first school? Where-" Brooke hushed her.

"Don't mind her; she's a little A.D.H.D. After you get to know her, you start to realize that she only means the first and sometimes the last thing she says," Evan apologized.

"You're from Dragonspyre?" Nolan sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Evan Starblade of the Crucible. Nice to meet you." He shook hands with the Conjurer.

"I'm Erica Bluestone, and this is Destiny Greenblossom," the Thaumaturge said, pointing to Destiny.

"Brooke Swiftriver," the Diviner growled, glaring at him from across the table. He shifted uncomfortably. "I still don't trust him, Heather. How do we know he won't start mocking us again?"

"I won't. I swear I won't," Nolan promised quickly.

"He means it, Brooke." Evan's tone was firm, and the Diviner frowned. She stopped questioning him, though, and so Heather took it as a plus.

"W-welcome to our t-table, Nolan."

-V-

Six years later, Nolan Stormgate had kept his word. He had never made fun of Brooke or Donna again; slowly, even the Diviner came to like him.

Sadie had miraculously remained hidden for the two full years until her 11th birthday, with quite a lot of Nolan's help. He'd lied for the younger Rosegem, helped bring her food or other things she needed, and actually become a good friend of Sadie's. On the registration day directly following her birthday, the young girl had gone to see the Headmaster, and she'd come out as a Thaumaturge, secondary a Theurgist.

Erica and Ashley- a newer friend of Heather's- had been thrilled, of course. They had promised to help her with all of her homework, and that she'd be the best novice in her class. Sure enough, Sadie Rosegem was consistently at the top of her Thaumaturgy class, all the way through her current ranking of magus. Unlike her older sister, she'd had no trouble making new friends; her friendly, optimistic, caring demeanor had served her well. Sadie would study and hang out with her friends during all of her free periods, but she always sat with her sister during lunch. It was a _very _tight squeeze to fit her at the small round table, but she had managed to fit between Heather and Erica, pressing Heather uncomfortably close to Nolan.

Although uncomfortable, the lunch periods were fun, Heather would admit. Other wizards would give them funny looks and taunt them, but they would always find that taunting a large group was _not _a good idea. They'd receive death glares from Brooke, Alex and Evan, rude retorts from Nolan, and the occasional middle finger from Ashley, who would then be scolded by Heather and Sadie simultaneously.

Overall, it was the best life Heather could have possibly imagined, being a Legendary Conjurer. However, like all good things, it had to come to an end sometime …

_**A/N: **__Sorry about le plot dump; le action will return next chapter. ^^_


	8. Chapter 8: Rockfall

_**A/N: **__Thanks to scarletfireblaze for the review! :) Haha, I know what you mean about Nolan, and I'm glad you like Sadie! :) _

The peace was shattered one early spring morning. Heather and Sadie were out for a walk on Unicorn Way, chatting and admiring the newly blooming flowers.

"Look at the poppies!" Sadie exclaimed, pointing to a small patch of the bright scarlet flowers. Heather smiled. Growing very near the poppies was a clump of purple heather.

"They're b-beautiful," the Conjurer remarked, kneeling beside the flowers. She leaned close to them, breathing in the sweet scent. Sadie sat beside her, carefully picking a sprig of heather and tucking it behind her older sister's ear.

"So are you, Heather," she declared, giggling. Heather carefully chose a white poppy and stuck it into Sadie's hair. The Magus smiled. "We're flower sisters!"

The two sisters laughed and enjoyed their day. They were too far from Ravenwood to hear the disturbances in the magical school, nor would they discover what had happened until much later that night.

-V-

"Do you think about Mom and Dad a lot?" Sadie asked suddenly. Heather flinched in surprise, nearly pulling out a strand of Sadie's hair, which she was braiding.

"W-what makes you ask that?" She asked nervously.

"Nothing. I guess I was just wondering," the Thaumaturge replied.

"I … don't really think about them m-much. I don't mean that I've forgotten them, but there are a l-lot of other things on my mind … I just d-don't have t-time to concentrate on them," Heather told her cautiously. She didn't let on about the nightmares she had been having. Ever since she'd learned the Earthquake spell, they had been plaguing her dreams, attacking her when she was at her most vulnerable.

"Oh." Sadie folded her hands in her lap and stared out the window. She leaned forwards in confusion, and suddenly jumped off the bed, tearing the unfinished braid out of Heather's hands and running to the window. "Oh, giants … Heather, come here!" The Conjurer rushed to her sister's side.

"What in the S-spiral happened?" She gasped, staring out at the chaos. Wizards were running every which way, and off in the distance, there was a gaping hole where the Death School should have been.

"We'd better go find out," Sadie decided, pulling her hood up and grabbing her wand from the desk. Heather snatched up her staff and ran out of the room after her sister.

-V-

The chaos was even worse outside than inside. Wizards were rushing everywhere. Younger students were screaming, and the older ones were attempting to find out what to do. All around the hole in the ground were people, staring down into the pit as though they could see where the Death School had gone. A tall, black haired boy dressed in Grandmaster Necromancer robes was calling names and checking them off on a clipboard, looking very nervous and frazzled as people crowded around him. Heather grabbed Sadie's hand before taking off for the Life School- and paused. Sylvia had died just a month before, and the new professor from Mooshu- Professor Wu- was visiting family for the weekend. The Conjurer quickly made up her mind and continued on towards the Myth School. Professor Drake _had_ to know something; his School was directly next to the Death School, and the Necromancy professor was his brother.

"Professor Drake!" She called, pushing open the door to the School. "Professor Drake, what's going-" Heather stopped. The Myth Professor was sitting at his desk, head in hands. His eyes were squeezed shut. "Professor Drake? …Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay! My brother has gone mad!" He yelled, standing up so suddenly that his chair tipped over backwards. Sadie squeaked and hid behind Heather.

"What do you m-mean?" The Legendary Conjurer gasped, staring at him in shock.

"Malistaire's gone insane! He tore the entire Death School away from Ravenwood- goodness knows _where_ it is now! He's apparently also taken Patrick Firesong!"

"The Fire Professor? W-wait, his last name is _F-firesong?" _Heather connected the dots in her mind. Patrick Firesong was Alexandra Firesong's father- her _real _father. The Legendary suddenly felt very sick. Both of Alex's dads, gone in one day, and her mother dead for a month … that was far more pain than one girl should ever have to experience at once. She wasn't even sure that the tough Necromancer would be able to handle that kind of loss.

"Rosegem, if you have nothing else to be doing, I suggest you help with the relief efforts; there has been damage to buildings in the areas surrounding Ravenwood, and many people have been injured from falling rocks. With your Theurgy skills, you should be of some use to them." He waved his hand towards the door and began rummaging through a desk drawer.

Heather knew better than to comment on his seeming lack of helpfulness; she simply took Sadie's hand once more, and the sisters hurried out of the Myth School. Heather dimly realized on the way out that her professor had given her an almost- compliment.

-V-

Cyrus Drake had been right; Theurgists were rushing everywhere, frantically trying to aide all of the people that had been injured. Rocks had apparently fallen like rain when the School was torn away, and there had also been the bizarre spell Malistaire had cast to rip off part of Ravenwood. The spell had apparently poisoned anyone that touched it, leaving many wizards with enormous black boils on their skin.

"Sadie, what healing s-spells have you learned so f-far?" Heather murmured to the young Thaumaturge as she approached a fallen victim of the rocks.

"Up to satyr," she whispered back, staring at the fallen apprentice with wide eyes.

"You'll have to heal her after I m-move the rock; I don't think I can do b-both," she instructed, searching her deck for the card she wanted.

"But-"

"No buts! You're a Magus, Sadie, not a helpless novice. You can help more than you know. Get the card ready, and cast it as soon as the rock is out of the way."

"Okay. I think I can do that." The Magus was green in the face as she saw the blood seeping out from under the giant rock, but she bit her lip and pulled the card from her deck. Heather drew the Myth symbol with her wand, and a Cyclops leaped out of the card, landing with a _thud. _

"Cyclops, c-can you m-move that rock?" Heather asked, pointing to the boulder.

"'Course I can," he proclaimed proudly, flexing his muscles. With a grunt, the Cyclops lifted the boulder off the unconscious wizard. "Where ya want it?" Heather looked around, and she noticed a growing pile of rocks.

"Over in that pile, p-please. Don't throw it!" She called after him as he marched towards the pile. "Sadie, g-go ahead."

Sadie's hand shook violently as she traced the Life symbol. The spell fizzled, and she glanced despairingly at Heather. "You can d-do it, Sadie!"

"Okay …" She seemed very unsure of herself, but the second time she tried the spell, the satyr popped out of the card and willingly healed the apprentice.

"See? I told you!" Heather hugged her sister tightly. "You can d-do anything if you t-try and b-believe that you c-can do it."

_**A/N: **__Next chapter: We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard Alexandra Firesong! (My fail attempt at singing … xD)_


	9. Chapter 9: Preparation

_**A/N: **__Thanks for the reviews! :)_

_**In response …**_

_**DeathySophia: **__It's my theory on what happened; since KingsIsle found it necessary to give us ZERO background knowledge aside from "Malistaire is evil! DIEEEEEE EVIL MALISTAIRE!" le guesswork was necessary. X)_

_This chapter is mainly dialogue with lots of fluffy sisterly love. Next chapter will be where the real action starts. _

The message came early the next day.

**Come to the Commons. I need to talk to you. -Alexandra Firesong**

Heather had received the note just after her Conjuring class ended. Heather debated it in her mind for a while. Alexandra definitely needed her, but Sadie was waiting to study for her Theurgy test in a few days. Eventually, the Conjurer decided that she had to help her friend. If Alex needed her, well … the Necromancer had suffered like no one should ever have to, and so Sadie would have to wait. Heather did make sure to send her sister a note, though, apologizing for having to skip their study date and promising to reschedule for whenever it was possible. She had no idea what she was getting into …

-V-

"Took you long enough," the Necromancer growled, leaning up against a tree with her arms folded and her hat brim pulled low over her face. Donna, Destiny and Brooke were nearby.

"S-sorry, Alex. I had to send Sadie a n-note; we w-were going to s-study today."

"My name is _Alexandra_," she snapped, glaring at the Conjurer with cold gray eyes. Heather remained silent, angling her gaze to the grass. "Some girl named Moira Moonchaser is working with Malistaire. She stole Nightshade, Lunetta and Blackhope; apparently she's trying to turn them against Wizard City to keep us busy." The Necromancer's tone became very dry at the end of her sentence. "I want you guys to help me find them."

"I'll help!" Donna exclaimed immediately, leaning into her crutch and taking a step forwards. "I'll beat up that bully that stole your pets!" She waved the crutch in what Heather assumed to be a threatening manner. A small grin crossed Brooke's face, but Alexandra remained emotionless as she stared at the Pyromancer.

"Good. What about you guys?" She turned her cold gaze towards Destiny, Brooke and Heather. One by one, they each nodded. Destiny cautiously approached her best friend.

"Alexandra, we will always help you if you need help. You don't even have to ask." For the first time, the barest hint of a smile appeared at the Necromancer's lips, but it never reached her eyes and was gone in a second.

"Thanks, Destiny. You guys are awesome. We have to start by going to Unicorn Way, but I'm not sure if that's the only place this quest is going. You might want to pack for a long trip." She started heading off towards the Shopping District.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I've gotta find Erica, Ashley and Evan. They're coming too, if I can find them," she called over her shoulder. "Meet back here in half an hour."

"I g-guess we should get g-going," Heather stuttered nervously. The other three Legendaries nodded in agreement, and they set off in different directions. The Conjurer could only think of what she would tell Sadie.

-V-

"What are you talking about? Why are you going to be gone for so long?" Sadie pressed her older sister for questions, sitting on the edge of Heather's bed as the Conjurer set out the things she was expecting to need.

"I don't know how l-long we're going to b-be, exactly, but Alex n-needs my help, so I've got to g-go with her," Heather said softly. "I don't want to l-leave you alone, Sadie, but this could be more serious than just a few s-stolen pets! You and I b-both saw what happened when P-professor Malistaire went insane; Alex s-says that he's got a new helper, some g-girl named Moira, and that she's a psychopath! If things go b-beyond Unicorn Way, this could become a threat to the entire S-spiral, and someone will have to stop those two. It might as w-well be someone with m-motives other than s-saving the Spiral."

"Why not send someone stronger, though? I'm sure Headmaster Ambrose knows someone who's already graduated, maybe, or he might be able to go on his own, or … or …" Sadie desperately tried to think of something to say that would keep Heather home. "I just don't want you to get hurt!"

Heather paused to glance at her sister. The Thaumaturge's blue eyes were wide with fear. "We'll be f-fine, Sadie; it's not like we're fighting the T-titans or anything." The Conjurer playfully nudged Sadie's arm, but the Magus shrugged her hand off.

"People don't come _back_ from places like Dragonspyre, Heather! If you die …" she couldn't finish the sentence and had to bite her lip to keep from crying. Heather set down the half folded robe and pulled her younger sister into a hug.

"Those people aren't in g-groups, though, Sadie! I'm with some of my very b-best friends, and one of those b-best friends is Alexandra Firesong. You've seen her d-duel, right? I'm p-p-pretty sure she's undefeated in PVP right now, and she's gone up against the b-best wizards Ravenwood has to offer. If Alex c-can beat wizards that are f-four levels higher than her in less than t-ten rounds, I'm pretty sure she can h-handle a few drakes and ninja pigs." Reluctantly, Sadie nodded.

"I guess you're right …" Heather grinned as she picked up the robe and finished folding it. The Legendary went over the list of things in her head, checking to make sure she had each item before refilling her emptied backpack. She set her notebook right on top and snapped the pack shut. "Don't forget your cards," Sadie warned, pointing to the small blue box that was tied shut with gold ribbon.

"Those g-go in my pocket," the Conjurer replied, tucking the box safely into the large pocket of her robe. "There. I think I've g-got everything." Holly (Heather's pet orthrus) was waiting impatiently by the door, occasionally howling for her to hurry up. "I guess I'd b-better get going," she said reluctantly, glancing over at the orthrus.

"I'll miss you," Sadie whispered, hugging her sister tightly.

"I'll miss you, too," Heather told her. "I'll write to you every chance I g-get, I p-promise." The Thaumaturge smiled shakily. "I'm p-pretty sure our whole lunch group is g-going, for the most part. Nolan is the only one we're n-not bringing. Make sure to listen t-to him, and if you ever n-need anything, go ask him. I'll make sure he's okay w-w-with that before I leave. Remember to d-do all of your homework assignments, and g-get to class on time …"

"I'll be fine, Heather, don't worry about me. Make sure you worry about yourself, since you're the one insisting upon following your friends into mortal danger." The Magus tried to sound light hearted, but Heather could tell that she was trying to hold back tears.

"It's not m-mortal danger, and I'll be sure to s-stay safe." She smiled reassuringly at her younger sister, but Heather was trying to keep from crying as well. "I'll m-miss you, Sadie."

"Bye, Heather. I'll miss you, too!" As the Legendary picked up her staff and turned to leave, Sadie grabbed something from the desk and hurried to give it to her. "Here. Bring this with you." It was a slightly shriveled white poppy, the same one that the Thaumaturge had worn in her hair the day before. Heather smiled.

"I'll bring your f-flower if you keep my f-flower with you."

"I will. Now go, you don't want to be late!" Heather waved one last time, opened the door, and hurried outside with Holly right beside her.


	10. Chapter 10: Unicorn Way

_**A/N: **__I'm very sorry for the long wait. Now that I've got my updating schedule planned out, I should be able to keep on track. Unfortunately, however, this story is not my top priority at the moment, so it will only be updated once a month, at least for a while. To those of you who reviewed, here are the answers to your questions:_

_**DeathySophia: **__Her name was originally Luna, but I changed it while rewriting The Destiny of Fire's Song._

_**Scarletfireblaze: **__Thanks for pointing out those errors! I made sure to edit those and I reposted the chapter. To clarify, Sadie was saying that she would keep the flower Heather gave to her if Heather kept the flower that Sadie gave her. (Yeah, I can see how that's confusing … O_O It sounded a lot better in my head.) _

Thankfully, Nolan had gotten Heather's whisper and was waiting just outside the Girls' Dorm Tower, leaning up against the side of the tall stone structure with his hands in his pockets. He looked over when Heather stepped outside, and he grinned, waving to her. She gave him a small wave in return.

"What's up? You said you needed to talk?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah … Nolan, I'm going on a quest with Alexandra." He frowned.

"Does this have to do with the accident a few days ago?" The older Conjurer wanted to know. Heather nodded.

"Some g-girl named M-Moira was working with M-Malistiare, and she's causing a lot of t-t-trouble for Alex. I have to help her s-sort it out; I p-promised I would."

"So … what's it got to do with me? Do you want me to come along?"

"Actually … I n-need you to stay here and t-take care of S-Sadie. I have n-no idea how long we'll b-be gone. It could b-be weeks, it could be m-months. The little th-thing Moira's d-done might be part of a much b-bigger plot, one that could th-threaten all of the S-Spiral if we don't put a stop to it. Can you help Sadie out while I'm g-gone? P-please?" Nolan hesitated, and he finally nodded.

"If you need me to stay here, I'll stay here. Trust me; nothing will happen to Sadie as long as I'm taking care of her." Heather smiled.

"Th-thank you so m-much, Nolan. You have n-no idea how much this m-means to m-me." He grinned, but the grin quickly faded to a look of concern. He hugged her tightly.

"Keep yourself safe, okay?"

"I'll do my b-best," the girl Conjurer laughed nervously. "Bye, Nolan." She mounted her chestnut pony and galloped away to the Commons, where Alexandra and the others would be waiting.

-V-

Iris galloped through the Commons, her hooves clattering on the stone pathway as she ran. Heather called warnings to anyone in the way, and they quickly backed out of her path. Holly poked her head out of her owner's backpack, howling loud enough to be heard over the sound of Iris's hoof beats.

"Holly, hush!" The Conjurer scolded, turning just slightly in her saddle to frown at the orthrus. She pulled hard on her pony's reins as she reached the Rainbow Bridge, where Alexandra was waiting under a tree. The Necromancer's arms were crossed, and she'd pulled the brim of her hat low over her eyes. Her cutlass hung at her waist, her athame sheath was strapped to her forearm, and she carried a black and red backpack.

"I heard you coming," Alexandra informed her.

"Sorry about th-that; I'm n-not sure why Holly w-was howling." The Conjurer shrugged apologetically. "Are the others on their way?"

"Yeah. Brooke and Donna just sent me a whisper; they're leaving their dorm now. Destiny had to stop by the Life School first, Erica's coming from Colossus Boulevard and Evan is-"

"Here," the Pyromancer interrupted, riding up behind them on his nightflame pegasus.

"Ashley said that she has some work to finish first, but she'll meet us on Unicorn Way." After that, Alexandra didn't say another word until Brooke and Donna arrived.

"We're here!" Donna sang, still attempting to cheer everyone up. Brooke glanced at Evan and gave him a faint smile, and then waved to Alexandra.

"Where are we going first?" She asked.

"Unicorn Way."

The street was nearly deserted when the group arrived. The place was beautiful, warm and inviting as usual, but there was something funny about it on that particular day, and Heather couldn't quite put her finger on it. As they rode silently past the field of flowers, Heather stared down at the patch she and Sadie had sat in just the day before, wondering what had happened to that peace. Sadie was still safe in Ravenwood, at least, and Nolan was going to take care of her. The young Conjurer knew, though, that there was a chance that she would never come home, and even if she did, things would be drastically different- especially if this quest was going to go as far as she thought it might. Just then, it clicked; the reason Unicorn Way felt so strange was the lack of birdsong; they were all absolutely silent.

A shrill scream pierced the silent air. "It came from that tower," Alex hissed, pointing just across the street. We rode towards the tower, and the Necromancer dismounted before Bat had even come to a stop. She drew her cutlass and raced inside. Heather clutched her staff tightly, tried to calm down her racing heartbeat, and followed her friend inside.

A young girl dressed in scarlet and black was standing with her back to a wall, staring at the glowing apparition in front of her with terrified eyes.

"Blackhope! Get over here, now," Alex shouted, clenching her free fist. The blue ghost turned her head all the way around to stare at us, and then she smirked.

"_You are not he who gives me orders_," she hissed softly, floating back and forth in front of the girl. "_What do you want?" _

"Blackhope, I believe I told you to leave that girl _alone_," the Necromancer snapped. Her eyes flashed when the ghost began to laugh.

"_You have no power over me any longer, girl! It is Lady Blackhope that you look upon, the ruler of Unicorn Way! You have threatened me, and now you will not leave this tower alive!_"

Alexandra, Donna, Destiny and Ashley entered the dueling circle opposite Blackhope and a skeletal pirate. Immediately, the ghost cast a centaur on her former owner.

"You've learned to cheat, I see; that's a tactic used by cowards with no self-confidence," Alex taunted, practically spitting the words at Blackhope, who only grinned wider.

"_It is also used by those who are strong, and wish to make use of their power,_" she laughed. Unfortunately for the ghost, four Legendary wizards were more than a match for a ghost and a pirate. They fell in a single round, and Alexandra stared blankly at the lump of dust that had once been her pet.

"She was completely against me," the Necromancer said incredulously. "She was ready to kill me!"

"Well, duh, that's all that Undead do," the girl we'd rescued said, as though it was obvious. "Necromancers, too, but thanks, I guess." She sounded reluctant to be speaking to Alexandra, and was inching towards the door as she spoke.

"You're welcome … _I guess,_" Ashley retorted sarcastically. "We'll try to be a bit more careful who we choose to fight next time we're saving your life."

"There won't be a 'next time.' I'm going back to Ravenwood, and I'm not leaving until it's safe to come out again." She sniffed and disappeared in a cloud of sparks. Brooke glanced at Heather, who simply shrugged.

"So, back to our search, then?"


End file.
